There may be 54 online shopping days until Christmas, but there are only 47 until we get to celebrate Panto Day on 18 December.
This year, its tenth, the Day celebrates all things panto with performers and venues large and small tweeting (#pantoday), sharing videos and photos on YouTube and Instagram and making the wonderful world of panto come alive whether you're able to get to a live performance nor not.
2020 is The Year of Creativity, highlighting the design work that makes pantomime so unique.
Over a month, Panto Day’s social media will feature a #designeroftheday and the industry's leading costume and set designers will be making available new pantomime creations for all ages to download and get stuck in for some colouring fun.
There is also a DIY paper pantomime cow to create, crosswords and wordsearches alongside the Panto Advice Page and a wide range of articles.
Panto Day founder, BTG's own Simon Sladen, said, "more than ever, Panto Day provides us with the opportunity to come together and celebrate Britain’s favourite art form. The Year of Creativity will explore the pantomime industry’s creative response to COVID-19, spotlight the amazing creatives that make each season happen and encourage people to get creative at home. We can’t wait for everyone to get creative on December 18 for Panto Day’s tenth birthday!"
There are less than half the usual number of pantomimes taking place because of the pandemic—by mid-October, 191 venues had cancelled or postponed productions—but theatres need support like never before and a handy map showing confirmed pantomimes can help you find your nearest show, which may be able to offer tickets for after the lockdown has been lifted.